Disturbia
by Debbo Kakashi Hatake
Summary: Kiba is left disturbed after he finds Shino chanting in his room with numerous unrecognised faces. Kiba seeks Neji's help, hoping to save his friend. But when things get out of control, it doesn't go according to plan. KibaNeji.
1. Kiba's Encounter

Yo! This is my first KibaNeji fic. I hope you like it! xD

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or the characters in it.**

**Yaoi; you don't like, don't read.**

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As his heart began to beat faster and faster against his ribcage, sixteen year-old Kiba backed away from the door to his best friend's room and raced as fast as he could to the nearest hiding spot. His mind couldn't think- all he could do was run, run and run. His flustered mind didn't help the situation he was in one bit. Had he just imagined what he had just seen? He could taste a tinge of blood in his mouth as he bit even harder on his lip, causing it to bleed even more. His breath was running out soon, and Kiba needed a place where he could hide- away from this _thing _he thought he saw. All he saw right now was an image of what exactly happened a minute ago. As if the weird chanting wasn't enough, he saw his best friend, Aburame Shino, wearing a black coat, saying some impenetrable language. The chanting was still stuck to Inuzuka's brain-

"Let the light shine… Make his dream come true…"

They just kept repeating the same two sentences for about fifteen minutes. Kiba's legs then stopped. He was now stuck with what to do. He thought of going to the ANBU just seconds ago, but now he was deciding against it. Even though it scared the shit out of him, he didn't want to get his friend into trouble. After all, he didn't know whether it was just some kind of prank Aburame was pulling off. But Inuzuka knew better. Shino was never the kind to joke around or play pranks. Rather, he was the kind whom Kiba thought to be the quiet one. But tonight, he thought otherwise. He tugged at the hem of his blouse, unsure of what to do. After a few minutes, he immediately rushed towards the direction of Hyuuga Neji's house for a little 'chat'.

0oo0oo0

"What?" Neji nearly dropped the kunai he was playing in his hand. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Shino involved in a ritual? "Are you sure this is reliable information? You know Shino hates to talk, not to mention chant." Kiba nodded his head, fear and a little curiosity still lingering in his heart. He ran through his messy, short, brown hair with his hand, his lower lip slightly shivering from the incident. Hyuuga could tell Kiba was telling the truth. In his whole teenage life, he has never seen Inuzuka that frightened before. In fact, he always acted as a know-it-all. This was not the Kiba he knew just an hour ago during training. His friend was acting weird, and he was telling a rather horrible discovery.

"Neji! Please! You have to help me! I-I don't know what to do!" Kiba pleaded with Neji, who was still processing the information the former just blurted out. The Hyuuga looked down at his friend. _You promised you'll help Kiba whenever he's in need! _A little voice in his head shouted. Neji sighed. "Oh, alright. But this must be kept a secret, all right? I don't want Hiashi-sama to worry about me." He didn't want his uncle to get worried. After all, Hiashi just came back from a mission just an hour ago; surely he wouldn't be so cruel to wake him up the next morning just to break the horrifying new mystery in his mist.

"Thank you!" Kiba heaved a sigh of relief as he slumped into Neji's comfortable sofa and within seconds slipped off into a deep, deep sleep…

"Oi! Wake up, you idiot!" Inuzuka found himself in the middle of Hyuuga Neji's room, with the Hyuuga leaning close to him, trying to get him to wake up. Kiba stifled a yawn and rubbed his soft, hazel eyes. Neji threw a set of clothes at the dog-lover, "Hurry up, change now." Hyuuga's tone suddenly turned irritated and business-like. It nearly made Kiba smirk. But the boy wasn't his usual self this morning. He hurried downstairs to the beautifully decorated living room of the Hyuuga's household and made a cup of coffee for himself. He spotted Hinata, who was quite shocked by the scruffy boy's appearance, and waved 'hi' to her. Neji then came down, wearing his usual kimono-like outfit and tied his hair into an extremely low ponytail.

"You look gorgeous," Kiba grinned at the teenager, who rolled his eyes and stretched his arms, "I'm tired." He announced to no one in particular. He held back a sleepy yawn and looked at the equally tired Kiba. "So, where do you want to start investigating?" Neji asked, his voice kept to the minimum and he kept looking around for his uncle, lest the appeared out of nowhere, which was what he usually did. "You know, I think there's no need to search for your uncle. I think I saw him outside just a while ago, walking leisurely." Neji raised an eyebrow at Inuzuka, giving him the 'you-didn't-answer-my-bloody-question' look. "Oh right, I think we should start looking-" Kiba was cut off the moment he heard a piercing scream vibrating throughout the household.

"Ah!" Neji looked towards the bathroom. It sounded a lot like Hinata.

"Fuck." Kiba and Neji cursed in unison and rushed to Hinata's side.

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Hoped you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! xD


	2. All Good Things Come To An End

Yo! Thank you for all those who reviewed so far! xD Really appreciate it! Hope this is interesting... xD Thanks and ENJOY! :D

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Hinata felt a shiver ran up her spine. Her jaw dropped to the ground as her beautiful, lilac eyes represented shock. She gulped once more, asking herself, "What to d-do? W-What to d-do?!" Sweat trickled down her pale forehead, her heart now at her throat. _Who would do such a thing? Why would somebody do such a thing? _Hinata went through everything she did in her head. She didn't offend anybody; she didn't even talk back to anyone before in her whole life! What did this innocent girl do? She was going crazy as her paranoid brain screamed in fear. It was as if she was going to suffocate if she didn't find out the truth- right this minute. Just then, Kiba and Neji appeared at the door of the washroom, slightly out of breath and panting.

"Hinata! What…" Kiba's voice trailed off the moment _something_ caught his eye. The older Hyuuga bit back a gasp, clearly thinking it was an unexpected twist of events. "Well, at least you don't have to guess where to investigate first…" Neji cringed. Kiba's sense of humour obviously wasn't very appealing to the rest. He closed his eyes. _This is not happening… _He thought to himself. Neji thought this whole thing was getting out of hand. He bit his lip, at the same time thinking of what exactly to do next. Kiba took a good look at the mirror once again.

'_All Good Things Come To An End.'_

It was written on the mirror- with what looked like a red substance. Neji wiped the mirror with his finger and smelt it. His eyes immediately widened, "It's blood!" He took the blood sample with a piece of cotton and threw it into a plastic bag. Kiba scratched the back of his head, "If we're suppose to keep this under wraps and not letting the ANBU involved in this, how are we suppose to get this examined? I mean, this takes a medicine expert to know whose blood this belongs to!" Neji just smiled and shove the evidence into Inuzuka's hands. Kiba was getting impatient, "Well? Mr. Smarty Pants, I don't think I can read your mind." Neji's smile grew wider.

"I figured you weren't _that _smart."

0oo0oo0

"Huh? What do you want me to do?!" Haruno Sakura sat at the edge of her seat, looking at the boys as if they were a bunch of idiots. "I have never done this before! I'm taking this to Tsunade-sama!" Neji pushed her back to her seat, "Has Hokage-sama taught you?" Sakura began to fidget in her spot, "Y-yeah… But I've never tried it before! I may never get the results!" Neji rolled his eyes. Haruno was getting more and more annoying by the day. "Look, I know you're scared. But if we get this delayed any further, Shino is going to be in serious shit." Kiba looked her in the eye. He was serious this time around. He was going to get his friend back, no matter what it takes.

Sakura was somewhat touched by Kiba's words. She thought about it for a while and pulled out her medical notebook she used to jot down pointers Tsunade gave her. As she glanced at the page of notes, Neji swore he heard her mutter 'I'm insane' under her breath. With her eyes still glued to the book, she sighed, "All right, I'll do it. On one condition-" Inuzuka listened intently. "-If I ever get out of this alive, you are going to owe me one hell lot of money!" Kiba and Neji smirked. Mission succeeded.

_(Twelve hours later)_

"Hey guys! Found something! You've got to come quick!" Sakura excitedly pounded on Neji's house door. Kiba was the first one to rush out of the room. Neji trudged behind the boy; he was tired and it was in the middle of the night. Hyuuga glanced at the clock as he put on his clothes. It was just a little over half past one. This had better be good, if not he'll make sure to bite Sakura's head off when he got his energy back.

Sakura hurriedly pulled the sample out of the bag and showed it to the boys. "Now, what do you see?" Both boys raised an eyebrow at her. Is this a cruel joke? "Blood?" Kiba pointed to the cotton. Sakura smirked, "Yes, but it is much more than that." She pointed to a yellowish liquid at the tip of the sample. "Look at this. This is pus." Kiba shot her a questioning look, "So?" Sakura rolled her eyes and explained. "A cut deep enough to cause so much blood to be able to write on the mirror means that the cut was left out open for quite a long time. From the pus, it looks like it's more than twelve hours old."

Neji folded his arms, looking interested, "Okay, but what does that say about the person?" Sakura slapped her forehead, groaning, "Baka. How big is Konoha? I don't think a person can leave a wound like that on another without someone noticing. Even if he was discharged from the hospital, it will leave a scar and he has to wear a bandage for at least a week. And you know something? Somebody had been reported missing about the same time the cut was placed on the victim." Kiba went through his mind. _Eh, who went missing? _He thought hard and long until he saw Neji close his eyes, clenching his fists, taking a deep breath, before answering Sakura's question.

"Lee.

"Rock Lee."

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Heehee, there you go! I'm not sure whether I'll 'eliminate' our little green friend. Depending on my mood I guess... xD Heehee. Review are appreciated! xD


	3. Rescuing Lee

Yo guys! Thank you for reviewing the last couple of chapters, I really appreciate it! xD Special thanks to Winterblazewolf, IOwnYourShoes and SylarTheBrainEatingKiller for their encouragements and inspiraton xD

Oh and my BETA is SmexyNerdOfSmexville! Heehee. Thanks for everything xP Enjoy!

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"What? Rock Lee is missing?!" Kiba couldn't believe what he had just heard. Neji nodded, turning to Sakura, "What else can you tell? We need some clues to be able to get to our boy."

The latter smiled, "I knew you would ask just that." She picked up another transparent plastic bag and waved it in front of the boys' faces. "I transferred some of the blood into another plastic bag. I tested it with a sort of liquid Tsunade-sama made. It helps to see what kind of bacteria is on a certain substance." She placed the sample under a bright light. "This kind of bacteria only survives in an extremely warm environment. Like a hot spring or something."

Neji looked at Kiba, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Kiba smirked, "Of course."

"...After all, I'm not _that _stupid."

_(An hour later)_

"This… stupid… thing… won't… budge!" Kiba tried to push the rock out of the way, but to no avail. Neji sighed. The boys actually knew a secret 'hideout' just underneath the hot spring; they used to play in it when they were just kids. The only thing was there was a large boulder in front of the entrance and that didn't help them- at all. "I thought it used to be a smaller one!" Kiba whined, pointing to the rock.

"It wasn't smaller- you became dumber." Neji grinned, used a jutsu to pull off the seal planted on the stone, and the boulder slowly and steadily lifted itself up. Kiba's mouth gaped in awe, as Neji brushed past him, stepping into the hideout.

Inuzuka held a torch in his hand, grumbling, in annoyance, to himself. The Hyuuga prodigy gave him a glare, signaling him to be as quiet as possible. 'I hear something.' Neji mouthed. The sound was back again. _Thud. _Kiba backed up against the wall. This was not good. _Thud. _"Byakugan!" Neji's bloodline limit was activated, using all of its strength to track down his friend. _What the… _Hyuuga gritted his teeth. Lee! The teenager was lying helplessly on the ground, unable to move much due to his injury. Neji could tell he was trying to say something, but the boy was too weak. He could only lightly bang on the floor, its echo reaching to the boys' ears. Another guy was standing next to him, his back faced towards Hyuuga.

_Shino! _

Neji cringed. He… He was behind all of this? Kiba stared weirdly at his friend, wondering what was going on. Without saying a word, Neji pulled Kiba and they ran. Well, Inuzuka didn't know where they were running to, but he followed Hyuuga, trusting his senses. "Lee! We're here to rescue you!" Kiba screamed as he rushed to his side. Neji looked to his left and right. No sign of Shino anywhere. The Hyuuga bit his lip as he stole a glance at Lee. The poor guy was lying on the floor, motionless, wanting to tell Kiba something as the latter leaned closer to whisper.

"Shi…no…was…here…" He stopped to catch his breath before passing out, leaving the two with an unconscious friend to deal with.

_(Back in Konoha)_

"Lee! I've got to see Lee!" Gai tried to push Kakashi and Iruka away but to no avail.

"Gai! Pull yourself together!" Iruka felt a tear flow down his pink cheeks as he saw Gai let his emotions get the better of him.

Kakashi pushed the man onto a chair, feeling fed-up, "Gai, I know you're worried about Lee. But there's nothing we can do right now." Kakashi tried to stay as calm and composed as possible. Gai buried his head into his hands. Lee. He was innocent! _Why? Why did they have to do this to him?! _Iruka felt sorry for his friend. Gai always treated Lee like his son, like how Umino treated Naruto like one. He understood what he was going through right now.

Kiba and Neji sat just a few steps away from the scene. The hospital they were in right now held the most important clue of all- Lee. Kiba knew the boy held the key to Shino's strange behavior. But somehow, he didn't feel like questioning him anymore. Just seeing Gai-sensei cry and let his feelings run wild was enough to make him feel sorrow and pain. Neji glanced over at his sensei. He knew he wasn't very surprised at his reaction. But Neji never expected him to sob. Gai? Crying? It wasn't what he had in mind.

"You really think we'll get information out of Lee?" For once, Neji was uncertain about the future. About destiny; whether it will be cruel enough to make the unspoken hero leave this world.

Kiba nodded, "Don't worry. It'll be fine." The teenager could sense the tension in Neji's words just now. He leaned over and gave Hyuuga Neji a small kiss on his cheek. As he landed a hand on the prodigy's shoulder to comfort him, he thought he saw a slight blush creeping up the Hyuuga's cheeks as he said a soft 'thank you'.

Just then, the door of the operating theatre opened.

Silence filled the hallway as the doctor took off his face mask. A drop of sweat trickled down Kiba's forehead as the doctor began to speak. If Lee died, it meant only one thing- the trail would be left cold. The mystery would never be solved. He forever would be left with the same question in his brain. What was Shino doing in his room that night?

"Lee! How's my Lee?" Gai asked the doctor, as anxious as ever.

"Lee is not doing very well…" Neji seemed to have the feeling the doctor wanted to look anywhere but Gai's brown eyes; which was pleading the doctor. His gaze kept drifting away, not wanting to make contact.

"Well? What?!"

The doctor sighed. "Be prepared for it, okay?" Gai gulped. This wasn't good. Gai could feel his heart in his throat, unsure whether or not he wanted to know what happened. Then, it happened. It hit him like a bullet.

"Lee is paralysed from waist-down."

A pang of guilt went through both Neji and Kiba. _I…I could have saved him! If only I had gone there earlier, if only I had travelled faster! If only… _Lee's dream of being a Jounin was gone. The dreams to have everybody respect him. The dream was shattered like a glass broken into two. It was all gone. And there was nothing Neji could do to help him.

"He'll need to be hospitalized for a few months. There's a slim chance he'll be okay again. Don't worry." The doctor patted the Jounin's shoulder and went off to attend to other patients. Gai screamed and sobbed again, but Neji couldn't hear a thing.

He was stuck. Stuck in his own world, thinking about his good friend and this cruel twist of fate. He now wished destiny had never played a part in this. He wanted to defy destiny this time, reverse time. But no matter how many times he closed his eyes, he reopened them to find himself in a world of sadness, angst and mystery. Was there any peace on this face of the Earth?

Kiba stood in front of the Jounin, biting his lip, not sure what to say. The know-it-all was tongue-tied, for the first time in his life, and he felt hurt by the fact that Neji was feeling so much pain. "Hey, I'll stay here with you until Lee wakes up." Neji nodded. Kiba sighed. It was the only thing he could say. Now, only time will tell if Lee's injury was for the worse or was a blessing in disguise.

"Kiba! Neji! Lee is calling for you!" Kakashi called out from behind the door. Both of them exchanged glances.

Time to get down to work.

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Heehee. Hope this lives up to your expectations xD Reviews would be nice x) Since I'm sick at home with nothing much to do, except History xD


	4. Questions To Be Asked

Yo! Thanks for the reviews so far! Special thanks to Winterblazewolf for her threat to kill me if I don't upload this chapter! xD Thanks to SmexyNerdOfSmexville for her BETA services as well! And you too, for reading this fic of mine! Enjoy!

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"Neji… You're here." Lee could only manage a whisper as he got up from his hospital bed. Kakashi, Iruka and Gai left the room before the boy could say anymore. Neji cringed at the sight of his body. He was broken, covered in bandages; it was just horrible. Neji would hunt down the person who'd harmed his friend. The bloody idiot will be hit so hard he wouldn't know what had happened.

"Don't sit up; you'll need plenty of rest." Lee could sense a pang of guilt run through the Hyuuga's pale, lavender eyes as he held the former's arm and helped him return to his original position. Neji sighed deeply as he ran through his long, brown hair with his delicate fingertips.

"Lee, what is it that you want to tell us?" Kiba sat down next to the injured Chuunin. Inuzuka held the latter's hand, squeezing it, as if telling him he was alright and he'll be there to help him, no matter what were to happen. His heart was clouded with mixed feelings; should he be happy that Lee was alive? Or should he feel guilty about what had happened?

Lee cleared his throat as he fidgeted in his seat, "Kiba, you'll be rather upset at what I'm about to tell you. Is it okay for me to carry on?" Kiba bit his lip as he nodded his head, confused about everything that has happened. His heart was beating in his ribcage, as if it was demanding to know if what Lee was about to say was what he had anticipated the moment he stepped into the room.

"_Shino_ was the one who attacked me."

There was a long, uncomfortable pause. Neji looked behind to see if Inuzuka was alright and saw his friend shed a tear. Why was Shino doing this? He just didn't understand anything at all. In fact, he didn't know if he still had a friend called Aburame Shino. Had he become a cruel, heartless beast just like Itachi? He wanted to know the truth and he wanted it now.

"Hey, stop crying like a baby. You're a teenager for goodness sake," Neji glared at Inuzuka. Kiba weakly smiled. Though Neji may seem very cold, he could sense a layer of concern and comfort beneath those abrupt, harshwords. Just seeing Kiba smile made Neji feel comforted. His smile seemed like the sun which lightened his day, like the calm after the raging storm.

"Okay, what happened after that?" Neji looked back at Lee, suddenly remembering his presence.

Lee cleared his throat, "Well, I felt Shino was very out of sorts. He looked as if he was hungry for more power, as though he was going to kill somebody, for revenge. For a moment there, I thought I was facing Sasuke instead; they had the very same cold, heartless eyes. Shino looked as if he was in some sort of trance; he didn't talk at all, he just fought me until…" Lee's voice trailed off as he looked down at his wound. This time it was Kiba's turn to cringe.

Neji rubbed his temples. _Sigh… This was much more difficult than I thought… _He cleared his throat, turning to leave before he asked one last question, "Do you know _why _he attacked you?" Kiba felt his heart skipped a beat. If Shino did it on purpose, then wouldn't it make his friend a murderer?

Lee was stuck at this one. He didn't know _how _to answer. In fact, he didn't know anything about Shino's mysterious chanting before all of this. But just what made Shino do all these things even though they were of no harm to his 'organisation'? Was he just trying to cause trouble, or was he trying to divert the detectives' attention, so that he may get something bigger?

"I don't know." Lee finally gave up, answering the Hyuuga's question. Neji sighed as he bit his lip. Kiba closed his eyes, remembering the happy times when Shino, Neji and he were just little kids, running around, and minding their own business…

**-Flashback-**

"Catch me if you can!" Kiba cheekily stuck his tongue out and raced around the playground. He felt sticky sweat trickling down his forehead onto his cheeks as he jumped up and down, waiting for Neji or Shino to respond.

"Che, who would want to play such a stupid game," Neji rolled his eyes before being engrossed in his story book once more. Shino just glared at Kiba, who was pouting at the moment.

"You guys are no fun. You're just into reading, and thinking, and... boring stuff!" Kiba scowled, kicking a rock. Shino and Neji felt their lips curl up in a small smile as they watched their friend walking around the compound, complaining to himself about the two.

"Hey, you want to sit down next to me while I read you a story?" Neji, who was feeling rather generous, patted the grass right next to him, offering the Inuzuka a rare chance to read with the Hyuuga. Kiba nodded excitedly and let out a shout of joy as he comfortably sat down next to his friend. Shino, being curious, moved in closer as he heard Neji begin his story.

"Once upon a time…"

**-End of Flashback-**

Kiba got jolted back to the present when he felt a familiar soft touch to his tender skin, "Hey, we've got to go." Kiba felt Neji's eyes softened as he led him out of the ward, leaving Lee to himself for a moment or two to rest. Lee smirked. He knew both of them had chemistry. Never had he thought they were already so close…

"Kiba, wait for me here, okay? I just need to use the washroom for a while." Neji patted his shoulder before rushing off to the nearest restroom. Kiba found a seat outside and waited for his best friend. Or so Kiba thought Neji was his best friend. He never had the guts to admit, but he always knew deep inside that Neji had been etched in his heart for who-knew-how-long.

"Am I crazy? Or am I falling in love? Is it real? ...Or just another crush?" Kiba muttered under his breath as he ran through the wonderful memories he had of the prodigy. He stared into space as he remembered the time where Neji combed his hair for the first time. He chuckled. Oh, he could never forget that.

"Why do I keep running from the truth? All I ever think about is you. And I've just got to know…" Kiba whispered to himself.

"Do you catch a breath when I look at you?"

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Heehee. Hope you liked it! Reviews mean a lot to authors, and I'm no exception! xD So, review to make my day! :D


	5. Curiosity Kills The Cat

Yo guys! Thank you so much for the reviews so far! xD This chapter couldn't be completed without the encouragement of Winter (Winterblazewolf), IOwnYourShoes and SylarTheBrainEatingKiller. SmexyNerdOfSmexville is also thanked for her BETA-ing skills! x) Enjoy!

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"Deidara-senpai, come and look at Tobi doing the splits!" Tobi raced around the room, jumping up and down.

Deidara glared at the boy in an odd manner; it was a mixture disgust and amazement. Tobi grabbed the latter's wrist, pleading with the blonde to relent just this once. Deidara tried to ignore the masked-man and continued to think peacefully at his old, wooden desk. But with a fuse that short, Deidara couldn't even handle Itachi. How was he going to handle a _man _who acted so much like a child? His icy cold glare still in place, the blue-eyed missing-nin kicked Tobi's ankles, causing the Uchiha to fall.

"That imbecile, who does he think he is?" Deidara muttered under his breath, a sense of satisfaction being felt as he convinced himself that he'd managed to get rid of the brat. Tobi steadily stood up from his uncomfortable position, cleaning off non-existent dust from his sleeves.

The masked-man now turned serious, his voice deepened by several notches, "Deidara, if we don't do something to wipe out the memory of the boy by the time Sasori's spell wears off, it's going to be a lot of trouble."

Deidara just smirked; totally convinced that everything was going to be fine. Behind the orange mask, Tobi's jaw tightened and, for the first time, he was worried. Though he believed Deidara wasn't the kind to drag matters, he felt the blonde did have one thing.

_Overconfidence. _

He was the kind to jump to conclusions and that was the only attribute Madara didn't need for the mission. If he lowered his guard, there could be a chance for the people of Konoha to finally notice something was amiss and, would investigate deeper into the mystery. It was something the Akatsuki would not be looking forward to.

"Hn, don't worry. I'll take care of him."

…However, there was no way it would be that easy, with a certain pair on the case.

0oo0oo0

Gaara sighed. It hadn't been worth becoming Kazekage; it was the same shit, different day. He had to solve problem after problem, day after day. And now, as if that wasn't enough, he had Kiba and Neji sitting right in front of him, asking for the impossible. He took a sip of his coffee before answering, "I have my limits. I don't think I can provide you that much."

Kiba clenched his fist as he stood up from his seat across Gaara, "Okay, fine. We don't need the weapons for protection. But please, get something for us to continue with this!"

Neji just stayed in his place, his lavender eyes fixed on the Kazekage. Gaara caught his glare and bit his lip, unsure of what to do. Should he risk his men to help a friend? Besides, he didn't even know if Aburame was worth helping. By the look of this, he seemed to be the person behind the happenings. But, as Uzumaki had shown him, never judge a book by its cover. And, if Naruto was anything to go by, the cover of the book can be rather... misleading, to say the least.

Gaara glanced out of his window, rubbing his temples as he continued to think, his mind elsewhere. Kiba tapped his foot, impatient, bearing his sharp incisors. The Hyuuga prodigy just tugged Inuzuka's blouse, giving him the 'shut-up-and-sit-down' look. '_I now understand Shikamaru. Troublesome.' _Gaara pursed his lips as he pulled out Sunagakure's log book, "Okay. I got enough manpower to carry out an investigation." The red-haired teenager lifted himself off the chair and brought them to the door. He gave Neji a reassuring look as he closed the door behind him, nodding slightly.

"I'll get back to you in a couple of days."

_(Meanwhile, in Konoha)_

"You troublesome people, what are you doing here?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Why in the world did they, of all people, come out of nowhere? He was having 'fun' going through his 'eventful' day. The last thing he wanted was a bunch of idiots, standing outside his room, and of all days, it had to be today; his birthday. '_Oh, how great!' _Nara thought to himself, as he let his friends into his house with a sigh.

"Sasuke-teme and I just wanted to wish you happy birthday!" Uzumaki Naruto buried his head deeper into Sasuke's chest as he replied to Shikamaru's question. Nara gritted his teeth. '_I should have known I would have mushy scenes if I were to let the both of them enter.' _He rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn, as he took a seat down on his favourite brown sofa.

"Hey, what's that?" Shikamaru smiled as he pointed to the wrapped present on Sasuke's lap. The latter smirked as he tightened his grip on the gift, "No peeking! You never heard the saying '_curiosity kills the cat_'?" Nara laughed. But soon, the room's ambience was suddenly darkened by Naruto's words.

"Shikamaru, have you heard of Shino's disappearance?" Suddenly, a pang of guilt ran through the lazy boy's veins. He had been informed of his boyfriend's disappearance by Neji, but he never did go to look for Aburame. He always convinced himself Shino wouldn't be bad. That he would be back, by his side, in no time. But he wasn't so sure now.

"Yes." Was the bitter, cold reply the Nara gave. Sasuke placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder, giving him his best concerned glance. Shikamaru gratefully patted his hand, telling him it was alright. Naruto just watched as the childhood friends embraced each other. Uzumaki put his hands together and prayed. Oh, how he wished none of this were to happen.

Without warning whatsoever, a sound vibrated throughout the house.

_Slam!_

The door slammed hard as Shikamaru squinted at the direction of the open door. He swore nobody was behind it. '_Maybe it's just the wind.' _He reassured himself. Sasuke and Naruto exchanged glances. This was not good.

_Slam!_

The noise was back, now louder than ever. Sasuke closed in on the door, taking careful steps towards the sound. _Slam! _Naruto held the Uchiha's hand, frightened and worried. Sasuke squeezed Uzumaki's hand as he slowly forced the blonde to let his grip go. Shikamaru was standing behind him, sweat trickling down his forehead. '_This is so troublesome.' _He thought. '_My perfect day; ruined!'_

Sasuke held his breath. "The moment of truth," He gulped, heart throbbing in his chest. He moved, and then hesitated. _Should I go on? _He closed his eyes. _It's going to be fine. _Before he could go against his will, he found his hand on the door knob and out of _curiosity_, pulled the door ever so slightly. He moved in closer.

…And closer.

There was a shout, a thud, and then silence.

Sasuke was gone.

* * *

Heehee. Here you go! xD Hope you liked it! Please review! I really do appreciate them! x) And yes, I added a tinge of ShinoxShikamaru. xD


	6. A Long Walk Home

Yo guys! Your favourite Debbo is back on the case! Haha. Thanks to the usual people again- Winterblazewolf, SmexyNerdOfSmexville, IOwnYourShoes and SylarTheBrainEatingKiller for their continuous support and inspiration. Okay, enough talk. On with the show! x)

* * *

"Stop whining, it's only a little bit more walking to get to Konoha," Neji snapped at Kiba.

The latter was being as annoying as Sakura, as he complained about the travelling time between Sunagakure and Konoha. Neji could feel his long, delicate hair wet from his constant perspiration as he used his fingers to run through it.

"Come on! We've been out here for at least a couple of days!" Kiba groaned. He trudged along the route to his hometown, grumbling to himself about how exhausted he was. He wasn't really the kind to complain, but today, he felt like he woken up on the wrong side of bed. Sweat trickled down his back as he felt a pair of eyes looking in his direction.

Neji narrowed his eyes. He thought he saw something among those bushes. Something moving, something dangerous. Whatever it was, Neji knew it was out to get them. Kiba shot the Hyuuga a quizzical glance.

"Are you looking at my muscles?"

Neji's attention suddenly switched to Kiba, though he was still rather alert of his surroundings. _Oh great. I just had to be stuck with this annoying freak. _The prodigy thought as he scanned the area with his activated bloodline limit. "Shut up," Neji's voice was calm and collected.

He felt a sense of satisfaction as he took one last good look at the follower. It was him. There he was, standing on top of a tree branch; his raven hair falling down nicely at the side of his face. Uchiha Itachi jumped down and his Sharingan eyes caught hold of Neji's lavender ones. Itachi felt a smirk curl up just above his sharp, pointed chin.

"Well, we meet again. Long time no see." Hyuuga Neji smiled as he got ready to pull out his katana which was just beside him.

Itachi chuckled, "I don't think that would be wise, Hyuuga. Since you rescued Gaara, I've become stronger. You can't handle me."

Neji just snorted, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back there, plotting another idiotic scheme?"

The older Uchiha then felt something creep up behind him. He suddenly was out of breath, not quite sure what happened. Something was strangling him, depriving him of the oxygen around him.

"The show's over, shithead."

Kiba recognized the voice.

"Shikamaru, you're here!" Inuzuka heaved a huge sigh of relief as he saw the lazy nin using his Shadow Possession Jutsu to grab Itachi when he was the least aware. Uchiha tightened his jaw, trying to break free of the shadow, but to no avail. Neji then poked at Itachi's vital chakra point, causing the missing nin to fall.

Before the older Uchiha could even moan in pain, Kisame appeared in front of the scene and protectively stood in front of the former. "We'll…come back." Itachi could only manage a soft whisper as his partner lifted him off from the ground and off they went.

Neji folded his arms, hiding his signature smirk that was threatening to show. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, completely annoyed by the look the prodigy was giving him right now. He had seen that arrogant look before, all right. Being around Hyuuga Neji was one thing, being able to stand him was another. Most of his childhood memories remembered the Hyuuga as the bloody know-it-all whom people knew better than to disturb him. He was a loner- only communicated with his two closest friends, Shino and Kiba. So far, Shikamaru has been able to talk to him twice since young; which was amazing, to say the least.

"Looks like that IQ of yours came in handy, after all." Though Neji may have an emotionless face on him, his beautiful eyes said otherwise.

"Of course. I'm, after all, the best of the best," Shikamaru grinned smugly as he placed his katana back into its holder.

"Che. I doubt so," Neji shook his head, walking along the route Kiba and him had intended to travel.

"Sasuke's been taken."

Suddenly, it was as if all time stood still. Neji froze in his place, eyes widened by a little as he bit his lip to stop himself from gasping in shock. Kiba's jaw dropped to the ground, completely taken aback by the news. The Nara just sighed as he cast a worried glance over at the Hyuuga. He knew Neji was already feeling guilty he wasn't able to help Lee the other time. Now, it was as if déjà vu was happening.

"Do you have a lead?"

"No. I was hoping you'll bring back some important information. Naruto's been crying at home ever since he left."

Kiba placed his left hand over Neji's right shoulder, giving him a comforting look. The latter felt a warm, salty tear roll down his pale skin, strands of his brown hair fell in front of his face, covering one eye. The Hyuuga tucked his hair behind his ear, cursing at how messy he was at the same time. He never did like a bad hair day.

"I'll take a look at it the moment I reach home," Neji sighed as he glanced curiously at Shikamaru's katana. "Where did you get that from?" The Hyuuga tilted his head slightly; enough to represent curiosity. Shikamaru laughed.

"Shino gave it to me for my birthday last year. You like it?"

"It isn't too bad looking; like my old katana I have sitting at home, collecting dust." Neji smiled at the thought of his weapon. He hasn't used it in years. Maybe it was time he got it out of the cupboard.

"Wow. Since when do _you_ ever praise people, Neji?" Kiba seemed surprised as he gulped down his precious water in half a second. Shikamaru smiled. Truth be told, Neji was never one to praise people all that much. Neji was the 'cool' type, always trying to hide his emotions; even if he liked the object, he would keep his mouth shut; which is why some people say he's a prick, who's usually unimpressed.

"Yeah, since when are _you_ impressed?" Nara laughed when he saw the prodigy trying to keep himself from pouting- and being cute for once- at the comment. Instead, Hyuuga shook his head and continued walking, mumbling something to himself.

"…I'm surrounded by a bunch of idiots." He muttered under his breath.

0oo0oo0

Naruto sat at the end of his room, crying uncontrollably. His lip trembled like an earthquake as he tried to stop the tears from flowing. But it didn't help at all. His memories of Sasuke flooded back to his mind bit by bit, flashing back to the wonderful times he had with the Uchiha. He regretted it- all of it. If he hadn't agreed to _them_, if he hadn't tried to make a deal, Sasuke would be left out of it all. He blamed himself for being so naïve, thinking _they_ would do exactly as he wished for.

He pounded his fist hard on the cold, hard floor. The scene of Sasuke being taken away from him haunted him since the day he disappeared, leaving Uzumaki to grieve for his loss. Part of him had told him to give up on Sasuke. He wouldn't be kept alive, he just knew it. They wouldn't be kind enough to let go. After all, he's sure they did it for one reason and one reason only.

For Naruto's agreement, they could risk _everything_.

Even **Uchiha Sasuke**.

* * *

Hehehehe. Wonder what Naruto is planning... xD I'll tell you a little bit (but VERY vaguely) in the next chapter. Please review! x) 'Till next time! xD Hehehehe...


	7. He's Not Alone

Yo guys! Debbo is back with another chapter XD Well, thanks still goes to everybody who has reviewed! :D Special thanks to Winterblazewolf and IOwnYourShoes! Haha. Hope you like it! XD

* * *

Naruto stood at the end of the room, his cold eyes fixed on the man before him. The man laughed as he hid among the shadows, "What do you want, fuckwit? You know you won't be able to save the Uchiha." Naruto's jaw tightened; he couldn't let Sasuke be taken captive by this group of _beasts_.

"I want a deal." Uzumaki showed no emotion in his voice. He could imagine the mysterious man smirk, as he stood hidden in the darkness. Silence overwhelmed the dimly-lit room as the man thought about it. _It could be worth it. _Naruto felt his heart thumping desperately in his throat, his palms sweaty. "I want Sasuke back. I can help you with the boy."

The man felt satisfied. _All this, for a pathetic Uchiha? Well, this is good news for me. _He smiled. "Of course. But how do I know you're not lying?"

Naruto laughed- a fake, hollow sound as he tried to hide his feelings. The blonde knew Tsunade wouldn't like what he was doing; no one would. But it didn't matter; it was all for a boy he loved.

"I'll give you three days. Come to me with a plan, and I'll save your guy."

"That's a deal."

0oo0oo0

"Ouch! That hurts!" Lee moaned in pain as Kiba roughly transferred the green ninja from his wheelchair to his hospital bed. Kiba was never good at taking care of anybody. He remembered the last time Neji got hospitalized and, because of his clumsiness and warped logic, caused the Hyuuga prodigy to suffer a few more bruises and cuts. Well, to put it simply, Kiba was not the loyal servant you could rely on. Neji learned that the hard way.

Speaking of the Hyuuga, he was leaning against the wall, smirking as usual as he pitied poor Lee. Being handled by the Inuzuka was, by far, the worst decision Lee had ever made. The way Kiba did it was enough to make him suspicious of murder. He pushed the wheelchair so fast that it knocked into the bed, making Lee feel worse than he was before. Neji laughed, "He only asked you to help him feel better, not to kill him, idiot."

"Why don't you try it, asshole?" Kiba scowled as he massaged Lee's paralysed legs.

Lee groaned again, "I want you to improve my blood circulation, and try not to kill my cells in the process!" Though Lee couldn't feel anything in his legs due to the injury, it looked, from Lee's point of view that he was trying to pull his leg off. Hyuuga Neji bit his lip, in an attempt to suppress laughter. He could feel his throat tickling for him to give a hearty laugh. Oh, this was just too fun.

"Kiba, it'd be better if you left Lee alone, seeing as you're seriously lacking in the brains department. Even Naruto could figure that out."

"Gaara, you're here!" Kiba and Lee said simultaneously as the red-haired teenager sat beside the injured ninja.

His red hair glistened in the sunlight and his eyes were filled with concern, as he placed a bouquet of flowers by his friend's side. Lee glowed with happiness at once when he found out the Kazekage was here to visit him. He hardly ever had the time to catch up with the teenager- he was always so busy due to his hectic schedule.

As Gaara began peeling an orange, his smiling face turned serious and he opened his mouth to speak. "I found out something about the case. I have a feeling you guys might not like it." Kiba and Neji shot him a quizzical glance as the Kazekage continued with his sentence.

"Shino is not alone," Gaara said. "He has accomplices working with him."

There was a moment of silence.

"H-how did you know?" Lee stammered at the thought of the danger that was sure to come.

Gaara simply buried his head in his hands, sighing in distaste. "One of my men was killed."

Silence filled the atmosphere again as Kiba processed the information in his head. These people were danger, and were most likely to attack anyone at any given time. Hinata and Lee were perfect examples. They were purposely trying to make Kiba's life miserable by hurting his friends around him- but _why_?

"I have no idea who though, because my men only saw shadows and heard voices. No face, no identity." Gaara put the already peeled orange onto Lee's palm. The Kazekage's thoughts were messed up as he recalled the recent incidents. _Who's doing this? And what is their purpose?_

Hyuuga Neji closed his eyes, thinking hard. _If only they knew who the voice belonged to… _He sighed as he rubbed his temples, "What did the voice say?"

Gaara thought about it for a while. "...'I don't think that would be wise of you.' That was what he said."

Neji nodded his head as he drifted off into deeper thoughts. With such an intellectual mind like his, the Hyuuga was a little shocked when he couldn't manage to recognize the phrase the voice said. It just sounded so familiar- Like he had heard it before somewhere. But he quickly put the thought aside, focusing on the issue at hand.

Kiba felt his eyes widened. _I got it! _He figured it out! An idea popped up in his mind as he rushed out of the hospital ward, yelling something along the lines of being a genius. Neji cocked his head a little to his right, a little confused yet curious to know what happened.

"Did that old man just figure out he had his false teeth with him all along?" The Kazekage stared in the direction Kiba ran in disbelief.

Lee chuckled as he placed an arm around the red-haired teenager, "Oh no, look at that wolf go! Woof! Aren't you going to _chase_ after him, _Neji_?" There was a moments pause, as Lee winked at Neji suggestively.

The Hyuuga just rolled his eyes and strolled out of the room, with his arms folded across his chest. He then poked his head into the ward again, "By the way, only a dog barks, Lee. Get your facts right." Neji smirked with satisfaction as he caught up with Inuzuka.

Gaara shook his head, "Same old Neji."

* * *

Heehee. Hoped you enjoyed it! In the meantime, I've got to think what to write for the next chapter... Hehehehe. :D


	8. Possessive

Yo guys! :D I hope you like this chapter! I was stuck at what to write for a while until I came up with this XD Special thanks to Winterblazewolf for her continuous support and 'threats' to finish this chapter x) Thanks to SmexyNerdOfSmexville as well for BETAing this :D On with the show!

* * *

"Kiba, you better wait for me!" Neji chased after the teenager. _'He's faster than he used to be.' _Neji thought silently. '_I need to train more often.' _The intelligent prodigy concluded as he ran faster and faster with each step.

Kiba stopped at the entrance of the hospital, grinning from ear to ear. "You're slow, Hyuuga!" He yelled back while he ruffled his already messy hair.

"Hell, couldn't you wait?" He glared at Inuzuka, obviously very annoyed.

Kiba rubbed his hands together, obviously pleased about something. "I know who it was!"

Neji stared at him in disbelief, "An idiot like you?" The dog-lover just continued grinning, giving Neji the 'I-know-something-you-don't-know' look. The Hyuuga rolled his eyes. The know-it-all was going to hold it against the prodigy for the rest of his life. He just knew it.

"Well, you forgot? Remember when a certain someone used to say that exact same phrase?"

Neji then froze. Why didn't he think about it before? Kiba bit his lip. It seemed that the Hyuuga was about to break down and cry. But the prodigy regained his composure and sat up straight, a fake smile plastered on his face, "I'm fine." He said softly, reassuring the Inuzuka. Kiba placed a comforting hand on Neji.

"I…I know it's hard for you. But you have to let it go." Kiba whispered into Hyuuga's ear.

The latter just kept quiet, tears streaming down his face, "W-why? Why must he do this to me?" Neji asked no one in particular. Inuzuka heard his heart shatter into two. Seeing a prodigy like Neji cry was by no means an easy feat.

"Thank…Thank you, Kiba." Neji gave him a weak smile. Kiba wrapped his arms around the prodigy, kissing him briefly on the cheek, "You're welcome."

0oo0oo0

"What the hell is taking those two love birds so long?" Gaara sighed.

Lee grinned from ear to ear, "That's pretty obvious. For all you may know, they're getting all hot and heavy right now," He winked suggestively.

Gaara stared at Lee, "You're not as innocent as I thought. Hot and heavy? You're much more sickening than Kankuro."

Lee just sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. Gaara shook his head, "What has Gai-sensei taught you? Has he been around Kakashi too much?" A pause. "You used to be so normal."

Lee chuckled, "Oh no, Kakashi-sensei is too obedient to Iruka-sensei to be having an affair."

Gaara had this shocked look on his face, clearly thinking Lee wasn't the same after he had his injury, "I think you've read too much Icha-Icha Paradise." He smiled, "After all, I wasn't thinking otherwise when I said Gai was always around Kakashi."

While Lee and Gaara talked, somebody was peeking. No, it wasn't a peeping tom. In fact, he was far from it. I'm pretty sure you've heard of him before- blue skin, sharp teeth and crazy hairdo. Yes, Kisame stood outside of the ward, monitoring their every move. Hoshigaki sniggered as he transported out of the hospital, to where the older Uchiha was.

"How was it?" Itachi asked the blue man as the latter appeared before him.

Kisame smiled contentedly, "Oh, they look as yummy as ever; especially that Hyuuga boy, mate."

Itachi glared at the fish, "You better shut up about him."

Hoshigaki ignored his partner and continued on, "You should really learn to let go. It was so long ago! If I were you, my friend, I would have chopped him to pieces back in the forest. I knew you weren't so vulnerable. You purposely let him attack you."

Itachi felt his blood boiling as he listened on to Kisame talk.

"You're talking too much there, aren't you?" Itachi hoped that would shut him up. But, being Itachi's partner, the fish knew he had to be thick-skinned to prove his point. Therefore he carried on.

"No, seriously. I mean I bet that Hyuuga thinks of crushing you right this moment. Plus, if Pein finds out about this, he's going to kill us."

"Shut up!" The older Uchiha lost his cool and shouted at his partner, "I am not you, so don't tell me what to do. I don't care whether Pein will slaughter me. In fact, I'm rather happy that there won't be a Hoshigaki Kisame in this world anymore." He said it all in one breath. His mind was in a mess.

Kisame grumbled something along the lines of being an 'abused partner' and sighed, "Really, Itachi. It's for your own good. Who would be stupid enough to let the bird fly out of your hands? It's either you go after him, or do the job properly. Don't be a string suspended in the air, not sure which way to go."

Itachi had an emotionless face as he walked away from his partner, but his eyes said it all. Hurt and sorrow could be found as a hot, burning tear trickled down his cheeks. No amount of words could describe the feeling he was in right now.

"It's okay…" He heard a familiar voice in the distance. He turned his head to see Kiba holding on to his beloved, as soothing words escaped from the teenager's mouth. Neji seemed to be smiling, squeezing the dog-lover's hand from time to time.

That was Itachi's last straw. The Uchiha bit his lip, to stop himself from shouting. Even though he was always known for his cool demeanor, he couldn't stop himself from shaking. He closed his eyes as he remembered the time where the Hyuuga and he used to be the love birds. Now? It was all taken away by that brat. He wasn't good enough to be Neji's other half. Only Itachi knew how Neji felt. Only he knew what it was like to lose his family. Only **he **understood. Uchiha Itachi was meant for him. And only him.

He clenched his fist. _I'll be by your side. I promise._

_Just give me a few more days, honey._

The older Uchiha prodigy smirked as he made a small but evil laugh.

_Then I'll be yours, truly. _

* * *

I know Itachi's really evil here! (as quoted by SmexyNerd.) But it just came to my mind suddenly after Winter said Itachi and Neji were suppose to be friends after that forest fight. Haha. And there you have it! :D I'll try to update as soon as possible, but I'm suddenly on an inspiration spur for 'Thirteen Troublesome Questions' and my new ItaSasu fic dedicated to Asphodel. But I'll try! XD


	9. Unbelievable

Konichiwa! Hey guys, how are you? :D Hope you all are doing well! This is the ninth chapter! Wow. That fast, huh? :D Okay, here goes the thanks! Special thanks would have to go Winterblazewolf and SmexyNerdOfSmexville. Yes, they rock, don't they? (But I rock more. MUAHAHA.) :D On with the show!

* * *

"Finally! You're back!" Lee chuckled as Kiba and Neji showed up at the entrance of the hospital ward.

Neji raised an eyebrow and yawned slightly, "Stop exaggerating. We weren't _that _long."

Gaara smirked as his eyes travelled down. "I see you guys are getting cozy." The Kazekage pointed to the hands interlocking each other, as though to prove his point.

The Hyuuga prodigy immediately shook off Inuzuka's hand, clearing his throat. Lee gave Kiba the thumbs-up sign, who, at the moment, was obviously looking pretty uncomfortable, to say the least.

"Aw, look at them!"

Suddenly, Sakura appeared at the door, grinning to herself, "I'm just going to do a quick check-up on Lee. You guys can stay by the side, if you want." In one hand, she carried her kit and gingerly placed it beside the ninja's bed.

"So, how's Lee coming along?" Gaara worriedly asked, as Sakura began her routine. Kiba nudged Neji and shot him the _'I-know-where-this-is-going'_ look. Neji, with his arms folded, just shook his head and smiled.

"Oh, he's fine. He's actually progressing really well. He has a chance of full recovery- especially since you guys actually care enough to visit him everyday, which boosts his failing ego. As long as you guys give him support, I'm sure he'll be healthy again." Haruno patted Lee on the back. The latter was beaming, glad to hear the news.

"Well, that's good." The red-haired teenager let out a sigh of relief as he placed an arm around the patient's shoulder. Kiba nudged Neji again, nodding his head, as if saying, '_You see? I told you!_' Neji gave a small laugh and kicked Kiba's leg.

_'You're sick!'_ Neji mouthed as he grinned. Sakura, who was observing their actions the whole time, was impressed. She had never seen Neji that happy before ever since… _he'd _left. "Thanks a lot, Kiba." She muttered under her breath, happy for the Hyuuga.

"That's what I call intimate!" Lee giggled as he pointed to the pair.

Gaara playfully smacked his head, chuckling softly, "Don't disturb them! Neji might scold us for being too rowdy in the middle of their session!"

Sakura bit her lip, holding back her laughter as she watched Kiba pout, "Hey! What do you mean?"

Sakura winked suggestively, "Oh, you know _exactly _what they mean." Sakura's voice suddenly turned serious, and she frowned. "How's Naruto coming along? I heard he hasn't been too good since Sasuke's disappearance."

Kiba scratched his head, "I don't know. He won't let us into his room. Whenever I call him, he'll disconnect the phone line."

Neji sighed, "Whatever it is, he's not opening up to us. He's hiding something."

"Naruto actually has something to hide? Usually he'll be boasting about everything." Gaara shot the lot a quizzical glance.

"You've been away for a long time. During this period, he's been picking up his boyfriend's habits- especially trying to be sadistic and depressing." Lee sadly smiled.

Sakura looked at Gaara, "This is a really hard time for Naruto. I hope you understand he might not want to see you."

The Kazekage nodded, "I understand."

"Guys!" Shikamaru rushed to the ward, panting.

Neji shot the Nara a questioning look, "What happened?"

Shikamaru, still slightly panting, took in a deep breath and sighed, "You guys won't like it…"

Kiba raised an eyebrow, "What?"

What happened next hit them like a bullet.

"…Naruto's gone!"

0oo0oo0

Naruto Uzumaki sat at the end of the room, his gaze fixed on Hidan. The latter smirked, his partner beside him as he laughed evilly. "Nice going, Uzumaki. Glad fuckwits like you actually have a brain." Hidan patted Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto jerked back, "That doesn't mean you can be friendly with me, wise guy."

Kakuzu sighed, "Hidan, even you're not stupid enough to piss off a Jinchuuriki."

Hidan circled around the Uzumaki, as if examining him, "You're actually good material. Too bad you're with that bastard of an Uchiha already."

Naruto's demon fox inside him began to show a little as he bared his sharp incisors, "He's not a bastard! You're the fucking _womaniser_!"

Kakuzu sighed again. '_These people are a bunch of dumb asses._' He thought to himself as Hidan sent a stinging slap across Naruto's face. The latter cringed at the pain. But, he told himself, everything was worth getting Sasuke back. Uzumaki managed to maintain a straight face as he looked the missing nin in the eye.

"Shut up and give me Sasuke," Naruto said in a cold, harsh voice.

Hidan smiled sadistically. Without any warning, Hidan kicked the Jinchuuriki in the gut. Naruto shouted, agony and pain overwhelming his already weak body. Kakuzu did not like the way the whole situation was going- the reason would have to be the pair of flashing crimson red eyes the Uzumaki was showing off. "Don't think you can mess with me, punk. I'm Hidan." The missing nin went down closer to Naruto, so close Naruto could feel his warm, putrid breath on his right cheek, "The _legendary sucker_."

Uzumaki was a little confused at the moment. Before he could react to Hidan's actions, the latter sent another punch, reeling the Jinchuuriki to the other side of the awfully small room. Kakuzu laid a hand on his partner's arm, "Don't be reckless! Pein wants the idiot alive!"

Hidan retracted his hand and turned to look at Kakuzu, "Fine. I shall not kill that little girly weakling yet." Hidan glared at Naruto once before he headed out of the door, cursing "Fuck!" on the way out and kicked the blonde one last time. His partner shook his head and locked the door behind him, leaving Naruto in the room, his motionless body contorted in different directions.

"Legendary sucker? Seriously, where did you hear that stupid name from?" Kakuzu raised an eyebrow at his partner.

Hidan just grinned, "I thought using Konolish would make that guy think about it for a bit. Besides, it was an interesting name for a girl like Tsunade."

Kakuzu shot him a quizzical glance, "Konolish?"

"You fool. What's Konoha plus English?" Hidan smirked. Kakuzu sighed as he trailed behind his partner.

"Unbelievable…"

* * *

Here you go! I hope this was okay! :D Thanks for reading and please review! :D


	10. Blacked Out

Yo guys! Sorry for the long wait (: But I hope this chapter would make this up to you! Special thanks to SmexyNerdOfSmexville for BETAing again (: Hope you get well soon! :D On with the show!

* * *

"Naruto!"

"Uzumaki?"

"_Naruto!_"

Kiba bit his lip as he made his way around Konoha. Where exactly was Uzumaki Naruto? He wasn't in his house, in the ramen shop, or in the training grounds.

Nowhere.

It was as though he had vanished into thin air. Kiba knew Naruto well enough to know that he wasn't the kind of guy who'd walk off without leaving even a note, saying where he was. Inuzuka knew that the attacker was out there. Somewhere- waiting for Neji and him to make a wrong move.

The Hyuuga prodigy placed a comforting hand on Kiba's shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm sure Naruto would be fine. He's going to become Hokage someday anyway, right?" Neji made a small smile at his partner.

Just then, something seemed to have caught Shikamaru's attention.

"Guys! I think I found something!" Nara Shikamaru shouted as he held something in his hands. Neji couldn't see what exactly it was though.

"Look at this."

Akamaru smelled the item and barked. Kiba pursed his lips- as if he knew what his dog was saying. Inuzuka took a deep breath as he glanced at his friends- somewhat nervously.

"It's Naruto's chain necklace."

Gaara blinked at Kiba, "Since when did Naruto wear _chain _necklaces? I thought he only has the crystal one Tsunade gave to him."

"He's been wearing it since he dated Sasuke," Neji explained to the Kazekage. "It's like a 'clear testament to their success'- or so Naruto always puts it."

Gaara raised an eyebrow, "A _love _necklace?"

Shikamaru nodded as he examined the item. The Nara sighed. '_This is so troublesome. Why am I even in this mess?_' He thought as he took a quick glance at Kiba. The latter had been rather quiet throughout this whole conversation. He wasn't even mildly surprised, since he knew, besides Sasuke, Naruto was rather close to Kiba's gang. Upon reminding himself of Kiba's gang, he felt a tug at his heart.

Shino had been gone for over a week now. Where had he got to? Had he really abandoned his friends and left Konoha? Or was there an ulterior motive for leaving? Even if there was, was the reason strong enough to try to kill Lee? Or scare Hinata? Questions were running through his disturbed mind as he tried to fit the pieces together.

He was being jolted back to Earth when he heard Kiba finally open his mouth to speak, "I think I know who did this." He gazed at the precious item before them.

"Uchiha Itachi."

--

"Kakuzu, you fucking idiot! Where's my rosary?!"

Kakuzu groaned. 'Here we go again.' He couldn't stand it for another second. Everyday it was shouting, groaning, and cursing- all from the same potty mouth. Hidan was definitely the source of his problems -there was no doubt. Up to such an extend that he got very little sleep due to his demanding nature. (Although Tobi swore he heard moaning coming out of the room.)

"What?" Kakuzu rolled his eyes as Hidan stood in front of the stitched-nin. His look said it all- he was annoyed, angry and couldn't wait to wring the missing nin's neck. One strand of his neatly combed hair fell in front of Hidan's eyes, partially blocking his vision. Kakuzu inwardly sighed. This is going to be bad.

"Where. Is. My. Fucking. Rosary?" Hidan said slowly and carefully; treating the stitched-nin like a little child. Though Kakuzu didn't like it very much, he didn't talk back like he would normally do. Instead, he just glared at his Akatsuki partner, oblivious to the fact that Pein was behind the pair.

"I need you two in the room- now."

With that, the Akatsuki leader strolled off to his room- with the two bumbling idiots trailing behind the man, cursing each other along the way. Konan stood at the door and nodded at Pein when the three of them walked past her. Hidan swore he saw Pein give her a flirtatious wink. But Kakuzu decided to dismiss it. After all, his partner was known to be a little crazy.

Konan then closed the door behind her and started to speak, "You cannot utter a word about this conversation to anyone."

Kakuzu then spotted both Itachi and Kisame standing in one corner, with Tobi and Deidara beside Pein. Deidara shook his head, "This is bad. Uzumaki is in critical condition. He can't complete the Jutsu if he doesn't heal."

"Of course we know that- which is why we're here." Itachi glared at Hidan, "And there's no guessing who inflicted those injuries…" Suddenly, all eyes were on Hidan, even Tobi was being serious and gave a **glare. **A real, true **glare. **

"What? He was an asshole!" The missing nin defended himself.

Deidara rolled his eyes, "But not an asshole enough to ruin the whole fucking plan! You've jeopardize the whole mission! We're not even certain if he'll ever wake up from his coma!" Hidan could feel his blood boil. Kakuzu could tell that even the tip of his ears were red with anger.

"Guys, don't start another of those useless fights. It's just going to get us more agitated." Kisame told the two.

Tobi nodded his head vigorously, "Yes, senpai! You'll get more wrinkles if you frown!" Deidara just ignored his partner- though Hidan knew that the blonde appreciated his words. After all, he's been getting used to the boy.

"Shut up, just keep it down." Pein rubbed his temples as he glanced over at Konan, "Check on Sasori and Zetsu. See if the boy's better." The latter swiftly nodded and ran out of the room.

Silence ensued as Deidara and Hidan never laid their eyes off each other.

Pein glared at the lot.

"Utter one more syllable and I'll have you killed."

--

Meanwhile, Naruto wasn't doing any better. He was apparently in a coma, like Deidara had said earlier. But Uzumaki had kept quiet and had pretended to be in one for a few days now. He swore his limbs were getting numb from lying on the bed too much, but he just had to bear with it.

Just then, Naruto heard voices behind him as he closed his eyes.

"This brat isn't responding at all. Sasori tried a Jutsu, but it doesn't seem to work." Zetsu told Konan as she entered into the room. She swiftly turned her head to catch a glimpse of the blonde. She sighed, "Sasori, try it again. We have to get him back alive. Pein won't be happy."

Sasori bit his lip, "I know that. I'm trying, can't you-?"

"You're not trying hard enough."

Out of the blue, a cold, harsh voice cut into the red-head words. Uchiha Sasuke stood in front of the gang, his eyes momentarily gazing at the blonde.

'_Hold on, Naruto. I'll get you out.'_

He then changed his focus to Sasori, who was-at the moment- doubting him. How can this poster boy beat him, the great puppet master?

"One week. That's all I need."

With that, Sasuke strolled out of the room as he turned to Naruto once again.

'_I'll get you. I promise.'_

_

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_Here you go! Hope this was okay and I'll promise to update soon. Until then, please review and ja ne! :D


	11. Out Of The Equation

Yo guys! Guess what? Debbo's back by popular demand! Hahaha. :D I hope this chapter is okay with you. Heh. Thanks to SmexyNerdOfSmexville for BETAing this. On with the show! :D

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"Itachi? But…why?" Neji had this look of uncertainty- as if he was curious, but then again, he didn't really want to know the truth. Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, I mean, he did attack you in the forest. But why did he kidnap Naruto?"

Kiba ran a hand through his messy hair, "Somehow, I felt it wasn't so simple, you know? I mean, I bet he wasn't there because he wanted to fight us. I also had doubts he would fall so easily. Shikamaru had to fight for so long just to defeat Tayuya. Now you're talking about the guy who took down a hundred during the Uchiha Massacre? And he got knocked out in less than five minutes? I don't think so."

Gaara nodded, "Kiba's right. Itachi may just be pretending to be hurt- to get his name out of the equation."

The clueless pink-haired ninja asked again, "His name out of the equation?"

"If he could prove to us he was injured so badly during the fight, he wouldn't be able to get the strength to kidnap Naruto. I know his character. He would never ask somebody to do a job for him. He was a very… hands-on guy. He just wanted us to go the wrong path- to leave him 'out of the equation'." Neji explained.

Shikamaru sighed, "It was all misleading us from the very beginning."

Kiba patted Shikamaru's back, "Don't worry. We'll find out more."

"Woof!" Akamaru called out to his master, digging at the foot of a tree.

"Akamaru, what are you doing? You're not going to find any food in there! Even if you do, it would all be decomposing and you wouldn't be able to eat any!" Kiba chided the big dog.

"Ah! What's that smell? It's horrible!" Sakura coughed as she pinched her nose with one hand and used the other to fan the odour away.

Neji's eyes widened. _Decompose? Smell? It would just mean…_

"Kiba! Don't stop Akamaru!" Neji grabbed the former's arm and pulled him away. Shikamaru and Gaara smirked while Sakura raised a curious eyebrow.

"That's right, Kiba. It would be a perfect place for dead bodies." Gaara smirk grew wider.

"Dead bodies?" Sakura was even more confused than before. "What does that have to do with Naruto or Sasuke?"

"Remember when I said one of my men was killed? It was right here that Itachi killed him." Gaara pointed to the spot. Kiba suddenly felt his heart skipped a beat, "You think…?"

"Yes. I suspect Itachi buried him here." The Kazekage leaned in closer to the dog, trying to get a better look.

"Woof!" Akamaru backed away from the scene as Sakura gasped and Gaara cringed. His comrade could barely be recognizable as he could see bones sticking out of its already decomposing flesh from a couple days ago. His face was half gone and all that could be seen was bones. The flesh was quickly decomposed, or ripped off during the surprise attack.

"I think he didn't do it alone." Neji bent down to inspect the corpse. "This looks like as if he was hit multiple times, from different directions." He pointed to the injuries. Shikamaru nodded, "I have feeling it's somebody we know…"

Kiba and Gaara looked at each other and exchanged worried glances, "The Akatsuki."

--

"Naruto? Naruto? Are you okay?" Uchiha Sasuke sat beside the blonde, shaking him lightly.

"Sasuke…" He weakly replied and gave him an equally weak smile. "I'm…Fine…"

Sasuke could hear his heart shatter into a million pieces. "Wha-what exactly have they done to you?" His voice croaked as he asked softly and gently pulled Naruto's soft blonde hair.

"N-nothing…" Naruto tried to make his smile wider, but it hurt whenever he had move even one muscle. Well, he was pretending to be hurt, but he still had to put on an act in front of his lover- For the walls have eyes.

"Uchiha! Are you done yet?" Kisame yelled at the boy. _I feel so weird. Now, I have two Uchihas to deal with. Troublesome._

Suddenly, Sasuke appeared at door of the room.

"What is it?" The younger Uchiha coldly asked the shark. His black hair with blue streaks covered his hazel eyes, only allowing Hoshigaki to see half of his handsome face.

"Pein wants to see you." With that, Kisame lead the way to the leader's room, meeting Itachi's stoic face at the entrance.

"Long time no see… Brother."

Sasuke glared at him. Kisame swore if looks could kill, he would have withered there and then.

"Shut up. You're lucky you aren't dead yet." Sasuke snapped at his brother and brushed past him, making no other eye contact whatsoever.

"Pein. The kid's here."

"I'm not a kid." The teenager stated, with a note of finality in his voice.

"Ah, Sasuke. You're here. I have some news for you." Pein gestured for the Uchiha to sit.

"I have decided to make you one of the Akatsuki. How's that?" Pein smiled, knowing what was coming.

"No! I shall not be at the same lowly level as my brother!" Sasuke shot another glare at Itachi, who just emotionlessly stared back with his Sharingan.

"Now, hush. Not only that opportunity, but if you agree, I'll let _both_ of them off. It's that simple." Pein knew Sasuke couldn't resist the offer. After all, one was his lover and one was his friend.

Sasuke thought about it for a while. Then spat back, "You think you can trick me? You'll just back out! And kill Naruto and _Shino_! Then I'll be left with nothing!"

Without further ado, the younger Uchiha stormed out of the room, leaving the three of them mildly surprised, with the exception of Itachi.

"I told you he wouldn't accept it. He's my brother. I know him better than any of you." Itachi looked at Pein.

"Damn!" The leader slammed his hand on the wooden table. _Shit! It didn't work!_

"I got another idea though, if you would." The older Uchiha stared at his partner, who immediately went out of the room, leaving the two of them to themselves.

Kisame sighed.

"Well, at least I can brag to the guys I actually heard Uchiha Itachi say three _audible _sentences."

_

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_Here you go! I'll try to make it longer the next time 'round. Hehe. Please review and hoped you enjoyed it! :D


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